Improvement in picture-hangers



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IMPROVEMENT IN PICTURE-HANGERS. I

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. l64,93 7 dated June 29,1875; application filed January 30, 1875. a.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J. Tormo ROBERTSON, of New York, in the county andState of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inAttachments for Picture- Frames and other similar articles, of which thefollowing is a specification:

The object of the said invention is to facilitate the hanging of apicture, mirror, or other similar article at the precise level or heightthat may be desired; and it consists of one or more barrels, providedwith ratchets and pawls attached to the frame, and fastened to thesuspending cord or wire in such a manner that the latter may be wound onthe barrel, and easily adjusted with precision to any required length.

A single attachment may be secured to the back of the top bar of theframe, and the ends of the suspending-cord rove through an eye on eachside, and then secured to the barrel, by the turning of which, with anappropriate key, if necessary, the length of the cord may be properlyadjusted.

One of the ratchet-and-pawl barrels may be placed on each side of theframe at the back, if preferred, for the reception, respectively, of oneof the 'two ends of the cord, thus suspending the frame directly fromthe two attachments without the intervention of separate eyes secured tothe frame.

By either of these means of applying the attachment to the frame theordinary difticulty may be obviated of tying the exact length of thecord to sustain the frame at the level or height required; and theelevation of the picture by turning the barrels enables the stretchingof the cord at any time to be quickly and easily compensated orcorrected.

The annexed drawing represents the upper part of the back of a frame,with the ratchetbarrel a attached. The cord b passes through the eyes aand d, and the ends are secured to the barrel. The barrels e and f mayalso be attached to the sides of the frame for the reception of the endsof the cord. In the one case both ends of the cord are Wound on the samebarrel, and in the other each of the ends has a separate barrel. Asingle barrel maybe used on only one side, with an ordinary screw-eyefor the attatlnnent of the cord at the other.

For the purpose of lowering, an additional set of ratchets may be used,or the pawl and ratchets may be replaced by an endless worm and wheel,which will work in both directions.

I claim as my invention- 1. A picture-frame provided with thecordcatches 0 cl and the tightening-barrel a, the latter secured in anyposition by a pawl and ratchet, as and for the purpose described.

2. A picture-frame having the cord-mounts e f placed one on each sidethereof, as shown, and held from revolution bya pawl and. ratchet, forthe purpose described.

J. TOURO ROBERTSON.

Witnesses: WM. KEMBLE HALL,

DAVID E. GWYNNE.

